I know that people sometimes think that they can book all their vacations themselves using the internet. When I meet new people and tell them what I do, I have been asked more than once “travel agents still exist?” The answer is of course YES! And it’s honestly more important than ever to use a travel professional to help you with your vacation planning. Although there may be instances where you can book a trip yourself, if you’re planning to travel somewhere new, or even somewhere you haven’t been before, it’s best to leave the details to the experts.
In the current environment, things are changing every day. There are new COVID policies, new timelines for testing, mask policies, etc. that are changing and then changing again! For example, Disney and Universal said you had to wear a mask indoors and outdoors for a long time. Then they changed that, so you didn’t have to wear a mask outdoors. The next change said that vaccinated guests didn’t have to wear indoors or out. But when COVID numbers began to rise again they reversed the policy, so now you must wear a mask indoors again. Or think about traveling to Europe. Some countries have reopened to US guests. But just this week some European countries have changed the testing requirements to enter.
There are two ways to keep up on all these policies. You can either spend hours and hours on the internet, reading new things
every day, or you can leave those details in the hands of an expert. Which sounds easier and less stressful to you?? It is the job of a travel professional to keep up on new things happening in the travel world, and to share those things with our clients. We are here to answer any questions you may have and to make sure you are ready to travel and have fun on your vacation instead of feeling stressed and anxious.
I have a few examples of ways a travel consultant can help you. I just traveled to Sandals Royal Barbados. Barbados has some very strict policies for the types of COVID tests they will accept. They even test everyone upon arrival again, even though you must have a test before traveling! There were two other couples on our shuttle from the airport to the resort. When we arrived at Sandals, we had our test and were able to enjoy almost all the resort. But there was one couple that didn’t have the correct test type of test before they traveled. They had to be quarantined inside their room until the arrival test results came back with a negative result. Those results came back the next day, but they were only at the resort for 4 nights! They lost a huge chunk of their vacation time inside their room! I don’t know about you, but when I go to an amazing all-inclusive vacation, I want to enjoy the pools, activities, and restaurants, not room service in my room! If they had a travel professional helping them, they would have had the correct test before they arrived in Barbados and would not had that problem.
Now think about a simpler visit to Walt Disney World. There are people spending thousands of dollars on their vacation that are being turned away at the parks because they don’t have a park reservation. This is something new that Disney is doing, and you cannot enter a park without a reservation. If you didn’t know that you would be very frustrated! Or you may be a huge Star Wars fan that wants to ride the newest attraction, Rise of the Resistance. If you don’t know how to get a boarding group for this ride, you will NOT be able to ride. An expert travel professional will give you instructions for everything you need to enjoy the Disney magic to the fullest!
So which type of traveler are you? Some people do like to do all the research for their vacations, and that’s fine. But if you’d like to relax and have someone else take care of the details for you, then please call your Wishes & Dreams Travel Consultant to plan your next vacation. We promise to take good care of you and to help you plan the vacation of your dreams!
